KARACHI: Mayor Wasim Akhtar on Sunday asked the federal and provincial governments to announce special development packages along with greater financial assistance for Karachi.

“The basic issues of the people could only be addressed and democracy could further be strengthened by strengthening the local government system,” said the mayor while addressing at the inauguration ceremony of the Shaheed Ali Raza Abidi family park and cricket ground in Federal B Area’s Block 6.

He said he was leading his team to make life better for the people of Karachi despite the fact that a weaker LG system in place in Sindh.

“There are piles of issues we are confronting with; people have no water to drink and sewerage system has got completely destroyed; there is no better sanitation system here and no decent transport system either; yet we are consuming our energies to do good for our people,” he said.

He said it was high time for Islamabad and the Sindh government to give Karachi its due share of finances and development.

He paid rich tribute to the slain Mr Abidi, a former Muttahida Qaumi Movement MNA who was assassinated in Defence on Dec 25, 2018.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2019